MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Russian auto racer Daniil Kvyat has moved closer to his Formula One comeback after reportedly signing a deal for his third stint with the Toro Rosso Team starting next season, Motorsport.com reported citing its own sources.
"Daniil Kvyat has moved to the top of the list of candidates for the 2019 Toro Rosso drive, with some sources suggesting that a deal has already been agreed for the Russian to make a surprise Formula 1 return," according to the international auto racing website.
Following the traditional mid-season break this summer ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix it was announced that Reb Bull’s Australian pilot Daniel Ricciardo would team up with Renault in 2019 and his place in the team would go to Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly.
The 22-year-old French racer will pair with Dutch pilot Max Verstappen in Red Bull meaning that one of the two spots in Toro Rosso is now vacant. The other driver with Toro Rosso this season is New Zealand’s Brendon Hartley, but his long-term future with the Red Bull’s junior team is still uncertain.
Red Bull’s Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko did not immediately confirm that the Russian driver was making a Formula 1 comeback with Toro Rosso, but said that Kvyat was in a much better emotional state at the moment and was back in favor with the team’s management.
"I would say he is more mature, but we are not in a hurry with Toro Rosso," Motorsport.com quoted Marko as saying. "We will solve our driver problems. We have a big list of names, and we’ll see."
In January this year, legendary Formula One team Scuderia Ferrari announced that it took Kvyat on board as a development driver dealing with simulators. However, according to Motorsport.com, "he’s understood to be free of any long-term commitment to the Maranello team," and may be back racing with Toro Rosso next season.
The 24-year-old Russian driver entered the Formula One world in 2014 racing for Toro Rosso and in 2015 he stepped up to the senior squad joining Red Bull. In the 2016 season, however, he was replaced by Max Verstappen in Red Bull and was demoted to Scuderia Toro Rosso again.
Kvyat finished the 2017 season with five points in 15 races for Toro Rosso, which is a Red Bull farm team. After the US Grand Prix in October 2017 Red Bull’s management terminated the contract with Kvyat and replaced him in Toro Rosso with Brendon Hartley.
Kvyat’s best result in his Formula One racing career was second place at the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix.